Welcome back Music Lovers! Things have been hectic lately. Moving to a new place, a new fiction blog and a new music project have all been in the works for a while! Now after some time planning it’s all starting to come together, but more of that in the next post.

For now just know I’ve been listening to some amazing music and discovering some awesome art.

Whether enjoying or producing it, seeing so much cool art lately has led me to get back to my roots as a writer to create some of my own. Even though I’m a fan/creator of beats and mixes, I don’t want to lose the art of writing.

So today I’m using that art to let you guys know about some more amazing art and music.

Let’s get into it.

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The Art of Dirty Six

The image above is titled, “Mask” and it is a digital artwork from an artist known as Dirty Six. I first took note of this artist from Munich, Germany while promoting Music Beats Everything on Facebook. I was posting promo links when I came across a sketch of a young girl that Dirty Six had made.

So I commented on the pic because I thought this was pretty cool and this wonderful artist sent me links and I took the time to discover more. I’m happy I did because now I’m a fan and that is how this article was born.

Puppet Fight

It’s hard to pick one favorite work by Dirty Six, because his collections really stand out, but if I had to pick one piece it would be “Puppet Fight”. I think it would make an awesome shirt. Shirts were on my mind that night as I browsed the art. That’s when I also discover that Dirty Six signature art style is also available as a shirt, or hoodie or jacket. That’s cool! Discover it here! http://www.restricted.clothing/306130

Still, the story of a kid saving the day in his own world jumped out at me and I can only hope Dirty Six comes out with this shirt sometime in the future . Being the master of a make-believe world invoked a childhood memory and curiosity in me that pushed me to discover more of his work, so the more I clicked, the more I enjoyed the art style and narratives of Dirty Six.

Soon plot ideas had begun to take shape in my mind as a result of viewing the images, so you can say the images also inspired me to create my own stories that you’ll be able to read soon. Admiring good art also helps me to create more, so I continued scrolling!

Then I came across the Graffiti influence and that was when I began bookmarking Dirty’s pages.

Kitty Rage

Graffiti culture is represented in Dirty Six’s work and that’s something I connected to as a child of the 80’s growing up in the South Bronx. I remember the bombed out 2 and 5 train cars that stopped me in my tracks, awestruck every time I saw them. Along with tags and other graffiti outside in the park I always thought the style was cool, so naturally I found the “Graffiti Girl” series enjoyable.

Sorry

The above image is also available as a shirt! If that wasn’t cool enough Dirty Six also has a collection of different signature clothing with art available from this series too! Here’s the link. http://www.restricted.clothing/286983

The shirts are serious. Do not sleep on them!

I’m thinking of picking one or two or three once payday hits, before you guys come and buy them all! There are several other clever ones I liked that pop out at the viewer. There’s also a Hip-Hop influence present. The opening image to this post is an example. (“Wu-Tang Is For The Girls” was sick piece) There are influences from “classy design and pinup style” in Dirty Six’s work as well that I thought rocked.

Another aspect of the artwork that I like was the range of moods present. Dirty Six explores themes that range from dark and somber to playful and comic. The darker works such as “Hanged” and “MetalMouth” depict their own dark twisted tale, while other pieces like “Puppet Fight” and “The Brain Worms” are comical with a bit of dark edge. There is a memorable and clever story at work in each of the images that poke the viewer as if to say, “Hey…wake up!”

The Brainworms

From a viewers perspective I felt that some pieces told a dark and mysterious tale, while others were seductive in more of the pin-up style of art. Some of the darker works depicted on Dirty Six’s page are among my favorite. I’ve always enjoyed an askew vision in art because it has helped me to see things from a different perspective. I guess that’s the magic of great art!

From Dirty Six online about page you’ll discover more about the artist in his own words.

“Starting with graffiti and streetart in 1998 I early found my love in digital design and painting. I did some art exhibitions between 2006 and 2009 while attending the HTL Salzburg department for art&design. Since 2009 I’m working in the computer-games industry and found my passion in fashion design.
I started the label “Restricted Clothing” in 2010 influenced from street art, underground hip hop culture as well as classy design and pinup style.”

Last Thoughts: The ability to provoke ideas, stories and emotions is the power of amazing art. Inspiring is the word that comes up when I see an artwork created by Dirty Six, so I’ve been fortunate to discover that. Now for payday to get here, so I can rock my shades with a Dirty Six shirt in time for the Summer season! God is great man and so are these links! Check them out!

(Photo I took of the DJ Herc mural located on East 166st & Grand Concourse. BX, NYC)

Welcome back Music Lovers! I have some good news to share as even more developments in the world of music and art arise. I took a picture of DJ Kool Herc’s mural because it relates to a News 12, The Bronx story that caught my attention several days ago. I was in the kitchen making a sandwich when I overheard a reporter talking about a new proposal aimed at co-naming Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, Hip-Hop Boulevard!! Wow!

As a Bronx resident I had to dig deeper into this story. Why was Sedgwick Ave so important for Hip-Hop’s history? For those readers who don’t know much about Sedgwick Avenue here’s a little history lesson as to why the place holds such an important cultural relevance to Hip-Hop and the world!

Many people including myself have always thought of Hip-Hop as first emerging in the South Bronx in the early 1970s. Well that idea is partly true. According to article written by David Gonzalez entitled, “Will Gentrification Spoil The Birthplace of Hip-Hop?” in The New York Times, Hip-Hop actually got its start in the West Bronx. While some may think of Hip-Hop as officially starting in Harlem or Queens, the residents of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue know better.

(Image from Wikipedia)

Digging through the evidence (check the references below) revealed that the building pictured above, 1520 Sedgwick Avenue is the birthplace of Hip-Hop and Rap , a cultural force that has influenced generations of music fans, DJs and Producers worldwide!

How can this be? Glad you asked!

After hearing the story, I went online and googled 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.

Just north of the Cross Bronx and along the Major Deegan expressway the highrise has a history unknown to many residents of the community. Admittedly, I did not know of the building’s significance until I researched and wrote this piece!

Cincystreetdesign.com provides details concerning the fact that this location was used by DJ Kool Herc to hold a party so grandiose that the epic reverbs of its influence can still be felt today! It was in the community room of 1520 Sedgwick that DJ Kool Herc unleashed the lyrical art form we know as Hip Hop. I can only say that I wish I was at that party to hear DJ Kool Herc and the invention of HipHop, but I wasn’t born yet.

(D.J. Kool Herc, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the west Bronx. Photo courtesy of The New York Times)

Wikipedia gave me a rundown of relevant info. Born Clive Campbell in Kingston, Jamaica, Herc immigrated to New York City at an early age and was influenced by both American and Jamaican music styles. Using his father’s massive sound system to throw all night block parties, Herc united the community of the West Bronx.

Various sites including Allmusic.com point to Herc’s pioneering DJ technique as the isolation and extension of the drum breaks of funk, disco and soul records to induce high energy rhythms in the patterns of club goers. His signature style consisted of using two copies of the same record to endlessly loop a beat during performances.

Here is a video of DJ Kool Herc decribing how he invented the idea of playing two breaks together. Check it out!

During the drum breaks or the instrumental percussion parts of records the party exploded into new heights of dance fever. Realizing the raw energy that he had created, Herc decided to push the excitement further by drawing on his Jamaican dancehall roots. Herc’s own crew “The Herculoids”, made up of Herc, Coke La Rock, and Clark Kent, would take the opportunity to recite rhymes over the microphone, in the style of Jamaican dancehall toasting, while the breaks played on.

This innovation of rhyming in sync with the break beats gained a following across the five boroughs of New York City and eventually the world.

Those who could pull off the skill of rapping with the beat were given the title of MC or Master of The Ceremonies.

This is how Hip-Hop was born.

To quote the site cincystreetdesign.com “This is where it came from,” said Clive Campbell, pointing to the building’s first-floor community room. “This is it. The culture started here and went around the world. But this is where it came from. Not anyplace else.”

The technique used by Herc in that community room in 1973 extended into nearby parks and streets before turning into an all out global influence.

Flash forward to 2014. On Thursday a street naming proposal is hoped to honor 1520 Sedgwick Avenue as the rightful birthplace of hip-hop music.

According to News 12 The Bronx, local historian Jacob Morris is leading the push to co-name Sedgwick Avenue as Hip-Hop Boulevard. He’s not alone. Morris is getting the support of dozens of Bronx residents who made a request to the Community Board.

Proponents of the idea to co-name Sedgwick Ave claim the world hasn’t been the same since DJ Kool Herc hosted the now-famous house party. News 12 goes on to state that if the community board decides to take up the proposal, it would eventually end up in a vote among all members. Morris says he believes the vote could happen as early as this month.

I love the idea and as a Bronx resident and Hip-Hop lover I want to see the building honored and the avenue co-named. I think the significance of this place must be respected. After all this is where Hip-Hop began, a culture that started from the community of one building and spread around the world. In a word, it is BIG. Hip Hop Boulevard. I dig it!

Morbid Wonderland’s page description on Facebook reads, “A page for all things dark and unusual in art, music, fashion, movies, television & theater.” Nothing could be further from the truth and I love it!

I stumbled across this page one afternoon on my quest to search for some cool new art and music. There I was scrolling the net in the library when something odd caught my eye. It was the image above. “Woah!”, I remembered thinking. “This is pretty cool. A world beyond the world we know!”. This an idea that often pops into my dreams and waking hours. I see art as the realization of a mystery world, a world of subconscious feeling trying to break free through signs and symbols.

The art team of Ashley L’Amour & JeRm La Haine create a narrative feast of sensory stimulation for the senses with their visual work. Signs and symbols come to life in their work. In the realm of digital design and artwork they offer their services to anyone looking for promotional art, album art, business cards, performance art and much more. Below you will find a small sampling of their striking work. Check it out!

Did I mention I love the internet? There are so many artists, producers and DJ making valuable contributions to the creative culture, setting trends and inventing new ones that it is awesome when something out of the ordinary sparks curiosity. That is what happened when I discovered this digital playground for the eyes.

In discovering Morbid Wonderland and the art of Ashley L’Amour & JeRm La Haine the visuals invoked a strange otherness that drew me closer. Immediately drawn into a Tim Burton meets Alice in Wonderland type world I was foreigner who made my way through the treasures of this strange and beautiful new world.

Art is life and new artists make new life. In addition to digital design the art duo of L’Amor and JeRm La Haine also offer a selection of custom made masks available for purchase. Known under the name of “Second Skin” ! A world that beckons its viewer to be an active participant in its beautiful mystery. The viewer, the art and the artist become one with the mask. Be sure to click the links below the art to connect with the artists and order your own custom made art mask!

Enjoy and be sure to support the work of artists who make it their mission to bring you fresh modes of expression!

Will you use your mask for a festival, an elegant party, a masquerade ball or a night out? Will you put on a show or hang one on the wall next to other art? The choice is yours.

Yes. You can own these!

These are really, really cool.

I think I’ll take the Jason inspired one! Visit the links and claim your custom made art! My favorite part is of Second Skin masks are that no two masks are the same because each one is crafted by hand with love. This guarantees you an original artwork! Discover more in the links below.

My Take: Truthfully speaking, Fushion picks great tunes to work with. I like his taste in music and his selection. I found myself boppin to his choice cuts. I don’t know why ,but something about the selected cuts and effects used reminded me of Massive Attack at some points in my listening experience. (Love Massive Attack) Good vibes entered my brain when I listened to some of the tunes. Not 100% feeling some of the effects used in these tunes, but overall the vibes were there and it felt good. Dig it, these were the cuts I thought were dope. Give it a listen and a download! Then sit back and enjoy the free tunes. Follow on Soundcloud for more. I’m looking forward to hearing the evolution of this up and coming artist. Respect.

DJ Kim Kong’s “Happiness”

As a dj trying to perfect my craft I believe that a pure, crisp, clean sound makes for a better sounding dj or producer. I’m on a quest for choice cuts. I rather listen to a dj that has awesome music, than a super popular dj who is scratching music every five seconds with loaded effects. I dig the tunes and the ambiance. The mood and feeling of music are very important to me, so when I read the title of DJ Kim Kong’s set I expected to feel ‘Happiness”. Good news music lovers, I felt happy listening to this set. Why? Listen and you’ll find out. Trance Ambient Minimal Electro Dance Goodness!!! You gotta check this one out! FREE? HELL YEAH!

You know my only feeling of sadness listening to this set was not being in the club when DJ Kong dropped it. That’s ok though…I’ll be pumping this mix on my night drive to the city. You inspired my set DJ Kim Kong!

THANK YOU for this feeling! Amazing work! Also check out “Now”

Well that’s all for now! Be sure to check out post 8 next week for more fresh free music and art news. Till next time my fellow music lovers! Viva Good Music!

Welcome back Music Lovers!!! Today is full of new life, new music and new discoveries! This week I found a helpful new video, finished up a remix, discovered a new music artist and heard some fresh free music.

You can also check out the rest of my sounds here https://soundcloud.com/djotheengineer/tracks My goal is to take my music to the next level and improve upon it by merging all genres of music with samples from movies, videogames, and animation. I want to create a force of future energy sounds that will make your body move and your head bop!

Now I’m taking the steps that many producers who like working with Mac, but feel the limits of Garageband, take. I want a BIG SOUND, more options, more instruments, and better drums! I like Fruity Loops, but love working on my Mac, so what choice do I have?

Enter Logic Pro X!

Over the next posts I’ll be updating you on my journey into the depths of this music creation software. Beats, mixes, and remixes! It’s going to a be a long road, but one that will produce new sounds!

Lacking the money for audio engineering classes I just decided to make a go of it and teach myself the theory and principles behind the applied science of music production. Why not? I’m not the first and certainly won’t be the last to ever become a student and teacher of the DAW simultaneously. Besides I’ve always loved good banging beats and with Youtube, and a supportive DAW community I can finally realize my vision for epic beats!! YES!

The video below is a general intro that highlights the beginner, stripped down mode of Logic Pro X. If you are coming from Garageband like me, this video does a great job of outlining the basics. The instructor guides you through the interface in Logic’s unadvanced mode, which he calls, “Garageband Pro”. I have no issues with that, but I know some out there who complain about the program’s similarity to GB. So what? Any advance program that can make my music sound massive is a welcome plus!

Watching it I was happy to know that many of the controls, commands and functions remain largely the same. Keep an open mind and be patient and you”l learn some great useful info that will ease your stress about the program. I like how Apple makes things intuitive for the users like me, who are new to the software and do not possess a massive info on music production. I started making music on an ipad, then found GB and now I’m here, so I’m ready to begin!

I still use Garageband 11 and below you’ll find a remix I did on the program. Makina’s “Elusive” came up on my playlist one day while I was mixing. I didn’t even realize I had the song, so I paired it with a sample from Conan, The Barbarian and it felt good. I love that movie and am making my own song with it, but all of a sudden I decide the fight scene between Bane and Batman in “The Dark Knight Rises” would fit the track better in the form of a remix. I sampled some of the villian’s dialouge and inserted it into the edited portions of the track. Afterward I cut it up some more, so think of this as fan tribute to Tom Hardy’s “Bane” and Makina’s “Elusive. Here it is! A free download! Like, Share and Enjoy the remix!

StefLebaux

Location: Morris Park, The Bronx Genre: Electronic

I love the library. I love to sit there and listen to these beats. I often compose projects in the library. It’s great because hardly anyone comes and I can chill with my headphones. I plug my headphones into the mac on the long abandoned table and start Facebooking. (My new word of the day or maybe it was invented before, anyways I’m Facebooking!) Looking through articles, trying to promote this little blog, my beats, and new music I come across something. Lo and behold the skies open and the God of Dope Beats shows me a sign in the form of Ruth Papazian, a fellow Facebook user who responded to my plug for this blog!

“Hey , Did you see my post on Stef Lebaux?” she wrote.

In my mind I was like, “Hmm, who is Stef Lebaux?” I hit her link. It helps to have an open mind because many times people dismiss things based on surface observations. It said Bronx Hipster in the link, so I didn’t know what to think at the time. I’m happy I ignored it because I discovered an awesome new sound. Maybe you may have heard of this artist or maybe not, in any case here is an important link to familiarize yourself with her sound.

Lebaux’s “indie electronic” style is ver much inspired by the 90s trip hop genre. Her influences include Portishead, Radiohead and Massive Attack. I am a fan of these artist and that info told me I was heading in the right direction. Hear her music and tell me if it doesn’t invoke the spirit of these performers. I always like to listen to this music at night. Night time is the right time and when the lights are low the beats from Lebaux’s music will move you.

Tracks like “Terrors” and “Lust Coma” provide addictive basslines, beats and tight vocal work. It’s a pleasure to listen to this music because it gave me that 90’s trip hop feel and at one point I was reminded of Massive Attack and Tricky. Lebaux makes awesome tunes that lift the spirit and take you higher! Hit the links below to discover her representing my home, The Bronx in the “Battle of the Boroughs” on April 4th at “The Greene Space”. Follow “The Greene Space” on Twitter to get links to a live stream, a ballot and photos of the performers. She has my vote for best artist in “Battle of the Boroughs”! Check the links to discover more and support the sound of music artist Stef Lebaux!

Black Tiger Sex Machine

Location: Montreal, Canada Genre: Electro House

From Soundcloud Bio: “We perform a unique show which is part DJ-set, part live, in which we combine tracks, loops, drums, samples and synths into an intense barrage of sounds and beats, all while wearing our trademark Tiger Helmets. Welcome to our Church.”

Woah! These guys rock! Seriously! I felt the music and now let the rhythm of this Electro House track take you…higher! Feel the rise….feel that epic ascent and drop! Black Tiger Sex Machine went on a crazy session in the studio and the sound is massive. Think Godzilla moving through the city! What are you waiting for? Listen and download this epic sound on blast now!

Black Tiger Sex Machine x Dead Battery – Rapid Fire | FREE DOWNLOAD

This mix below is also epic, so I had to include it because I like the movie, “Drive” and futuristic cinematic sounds. These guys are serious with the badass music! Discover and download it! Dust off your scorpion jacket and drive off into the night with sounds from the future! This group has also made a series of cinematic mixes so check them out! FREE. YES. COOL!

Well that’s all I got for now. Stay tuned for more fresh free music and other cool music news in post 7! Viva Good Music!

Welcome back music lovers! Happy Friday! Throw your hands up in air and wave them around like you just don’t care. Today is a very special day because of all the free content I have to share with you, not to mention a flashback mixtape and a round up of new artists producing music you just can’t stop boppin to, so let’s get into it shall we?

First off we have the iTunes Music Festival at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin! A collection of music industry heavyweights rocking the crowd! Apple’s music festivals has been rocking music lovers at London’s Roundhouse venue annually since 2007. This time around Apple has decided to host the event in the US for the first time ever and has decided to give fans who couldn’t make it to the show some streaming options to view the festival live from the comfort of your couch! Sit back and enjoy awesome performances from fifteen of the biggest names in the music industry including Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Soundgarden, Pitbull, Keith Urban and more!

You can stream the performance live or (for busy folk) after the festival for a limited time after March 15th! I love the fact that you can steam the shows and not miss a beat, even after your favorite performer has left the stage! Watch it live right now by using one of the streaming options below! Also check out the list of performances so far below!

Stream the iTunes Festival on an iPhone or iPadApple has created an official iTunes Festival App available via iTunes or the App store. With the app users has access to information about the artists participating, links to selections from the iTunes music catalog, along with a complete schedule of the the festival performances. Live stream performances by downloading the iTunes SXSW Festival app from iTunes or the App Store then sit back and enjoy the show! https://www.itunesfestival.com/

Stream the iTunes Festival on Apple TVBesides an app Apple also provides viewers an option with a new iTunes Festival channel to the Apple TV. The channel should already be available for all, in most cases featured prominently among the other channels found on the device’s home page. To stream performances, simply tune in during any of the concerts.

You can also watch it directly from Vevo. (You’ll need to be using Safari to do so)

Artist: Dj Marky

Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Mixtape: Back To The Rave Dayz 1991 1992 Mixed by DJ Marky

My View: AMAZING MUSIC, AMAZING! I get a nostalgic feeling listening to this! You will too if you’re a fan of the 90’s rave scene. Enjoy this FREE MIXTAPE and let those memories of club nights and dancing till dawn come back!! There are many things I can say about this collection, but I’ll let the artist and his mix show you. Hit play after the description and dance!

Excerpt from Soundcloud: “Set dedicado a todos que curtiram a Sound Factory Penha em 1991-1992. Dedicated to all the DJ’s, labels and producers in UK that changed my life. Don’t forget the feedback, Nao esqueçam do feedback! Big Love,

Artist: KYN KRUNK

Awesome beats, surprising melodies and a sound that feels like you’re listening to an old record you just discovered in an underground shop are the feelings I get when listening to Kyn Krunk. Kyn certainly lives up to the Krunk! Each of Kyn’s tracks are unique in that they provide the listener with such rich sonic textures that you can almost piece together your own cinematic story. I found myself saying, “Yes!” a lot while listening to these beats. Check em out here and visit his facebook for more info! https://www.facebook.com/KYNKRUNK

Artist: ✞ЯфPKiLLΔℤ

I’m feeling this track very much! I like it so much I decided to stop mixing and producing to take some time out to tell you guys about it! I hope you rock out! The music itself tells the story. All you have to do is listen. It is also FREE to own! How cool is that? Your ears will go, “WOAH” and when that happens you know it is real.

Artist: SevnthWonder

Oh yeah, I’m feelin this one! Great atmosphere and an R&B and classic Hip-Hop vibe fill the track with a good feeling. It’s a free download, so be sure to claim your copy and support this great new music artist out of Boston! Awesome track! Sevnth Wonder is a cool artist for sure, so I can’t wait to hear more of his future sounds! Check it out! Your ears will go, “ahhhh” and that’s always a good thing! Take a listen.

Artist: Sascha Braemer

I happen to like this mix very much. It’s two hours of epic sounds, so be prepared to party! As the title says, the tape will ready you and your friends for a night of dancing! Think of it as the party to the party, so play this and don’t get worn out on your way to the party! This is also a FREE TAPE! Jump on it and use your cash to get a water bottle. You’ll need the hydration while listening to this hot sound!

JackEL

My Favorite track so far has been “Bird Machine”, keep reading and everything changes. At first I was like ok, now I’m like this is cool! I’ll be looking forward to future developments in JackEL’s music. I feel like everyday day is Christmas when I hear “Bird Machine”.

Bird machine is clever, very clever. If it wasn’t for that song I don’t know how I’d get up to finish my posting duties but then came…

I’m Blue (JackEL Remix) – Eiffel65

This is a good remix to a familiar friend I’ve known for years, Eiffel 65’s classic song, “I’m Blue.” The remix is cool, so much so that I reposted it on soundcloud and played it again and again! Now this track is my favorite. It’s great and as for JackEL’s other works, you simply have to check em out. You must do yourself a favor and hit play.

Then discover “Fire Storm”! I’m telling you, discover “Fire Storm”. “Bird Machine” was woah, “I’m Blue Remix” was wow and “Fire Storm” was woooooah with some great samples there, but I just wish it was a longer song. Too Short!

Why are all these hot songs I like short? That’s when I hear this….https://soundcloud.com/officialjackel/lrad-vs-animals-jackel-mashup . The problem is solved because this mashup that follows “Fire Storm” is CRAZY. ENJOY!! Oh and then there’s the song, “Like A Pyramid Scheme”….see what happens when you listen? You can’t stop and just want to keep listening. That’s the mark of good music wouldn’t you say??? Just HIT PLAY!

Don’t forget to tune in next week for post 6 and more fresh free tunes and news! Till next time music lovers!!!

Welcome to post 4 my fellow music lovers! I came across this video through a link on Facebook dated 2012 and even though it’s an old story, the inspiration of it is timeless. This is a true story of then 15 year old Kelvin Doe, aka DJ Focus, who is known for teaching himself engineering at the age of 13 to aid his community. Doe sets an example for many youngsters with the idea that creativity and imagination can be agents of positive change in the world.

In the video, Doe explains how he helped his family and everyone in the poverty stricken community of Sierra Leone by using the power of technology and music. Digging through trash bins, the teen was able to make use of scrap metal and discarded electronic devices to build his own radio station, batteries and generators using advanced techniques fundamental to reverse engineering.

Known as DJ Focus, Doe plays music and broadcasts news. He adopted the name because of his belief that anything is possible if you just focus. This amazing young man proves that with enough determination and commitment anything is possible. To support young innovators like Kelvin, please visit http://www.crowdrise.com/InnovateSalone

Ellis-D.

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

“Can’t Hold Us Remix”

Ellis D provides humorous samples from the movie Half Baked, fresh new raps over a Macklemore beat, and an overall good feeling! What more can you ask for? Oh did I mention it’s also a FREE DOWNLOAD?! YES! You gotta give this one a listen and throw your hands up in the air while you’re at it!

Freedom Fighters & Pixel – “Trick n’ Treat” (The Big Smashup)

“Freedom Fighters is the musical project of producer Shahaf Efrat (1989), from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Shahaf has been producing his own original music since 2005 and with a rapid rise to fame, performing worldwide since 2007.
Freedom Fighters music can be best described as Techno oriented Progressive Psytrance mixed with everyday life experiences. Whether its heavy underground psychedelic sound or a crystal clear techno oriented tune, one can be sure to recognize the unique signature sound in every track produced.”

My Take: Whenever an experienced music maker offers a mix, mashup, or an original tune free, I jump on it. In doing so I’m introduced to more great music. This time it’s Progressive Trance and Freedom Fighters is an another awesome example of a new take on established music genre. I had a good time listening to this and his other work. Check it out!

Emotional, electronic and cinematic are just some of the words that describe Need A Name’s ambient music. Music artist, Dario Lupo makes use of piano, guitar and ambient sounds found in nature to produce a calm, soothing effect on the listener. Perfect music to relax, listen to his remix of Umber’s “The Day We Left For Earth” or “White Truffle” (My Favorite) or any of his other wonderful original productions. Listening to these tracks invoked memories of Sigur Ros and a bit of Eksi Ekso, but I was in an atmospheric state of total serenity by Dario Lupo’s own sound. Blood Pressure will be lowered and the music will wash stress away, but for best results listen with headphones on the way home from work. The tunes also work well for an evening of ambient listening in the crib.

Highly recommended.

Well that’s all for now! Be sure to drop by this Friday for more news on upcoming tunes, art and fresh free music! Till next time…

Hey everybody welcome back for post 3! Hope you made sure to check out the artists from the previous post! I love discovering music so much that I had to come back and write to you guys about more amazing music, artists and cool stuff I discovered this week.

Let’s start with DJ Moe’s mixes and Makina!!

So there I was in the college library, browsing one of the many Facebook Music Groups when I come across DJ Moe’s post and stop scrolling. These Facebook groups are packed with hundreds of music artists like myself who share their music with the world. There are so many people making music that it would take multiple lifetimes just to listen to it all! It just happened that DJ Moe’s post stood out from the rest that day. See I’m a big Sci-Fi fan and the thumbnail to DJ Moe’s mixtape featured an image of Arnie in Terminator 1 looking badass. That small tidbit prompted me to read the title of the post which read: DjMoE – D&B Dancefloor Terminators! 2014mix. I was like, ok cool, whats this all about?

I hit play.

D & B Dancefloor Terminators Mix explodes into what sounds like a cinematic post apolcyptic future where man and machine have joined forces to produce brilliant high energy drum and bass rhythms! This mix will make you move!! If you don’t move while listening to this make an appointment with a medical professional. Yes, it is serious.

It is a free download as well! FREE. NOW. Yes this is also perfect.

Naturally curiosity set in after listening to the tape because the first thing I wanted to do is find more tapes like this. In fact the mix was perfect for me because it sums up what I’d like my mixes to be, full of energy, boom and a big sound that gets you crazy! DJ Moe’s tape produces the desired effect, but the main question on my mind was…is there more? Does he have more high energy stuff I’ve never heard before?

Yes!

DJ Moe has more mixes. LOTS MORE!

I counted 28 mixes on his Soundcloud profile and that’s not including his own productions.

Mixes for Trance, Uptempo, Hard Trance, D&B, 90’s Classic Vinyl, UK Hardcore Anthems (Really excited about listening to this one later tonight!), Old School, Classics, Powerstomp, and various Makina mixes including Makina Most Wanted, Makina Mayhem and Makina Madness are essential listening for that head boppin/kickin feeling. All this just leads me to believe that DJ Moe has been at the art of mixing and music for a very long time! Cool.

So I scroll and scroll and scroll. So much music…so little time and this point I’m feeling overwhelmed, kinda like how a kid feels when he finds 100 presents under the Christmas tree. I’ve never had a 100 presents at 1 time but this time it felt like that. Which link to open first? Which mix to listen to first? Well after Terminators I saw another interesting thumbnail and title.

It’s not everyday that you see an image of a clockface dressed as some hero, holding a ray gun so I clicked on the title of the tape.

MaKiNaMaKiNaTIME 2014 MIX

What is this?? I hit play.

BA – BOOOOOM!!!!

Next thing you know my Sony headphones were on fire! My brain was exploding and soon I’m raving out to it like WOAH I’M ALIVE AGAIN!!! BY GOD I’M ALIVE AGAIN! Now I’m sitting in the library, people are looking at me, security is coming and I’m saying to myself, “I’ve never heard Techno music sound like this before. What is this?! ”

Well my friends I’ve never heard Techno like this because the mix I was listening to wasn’t strictly Techno as I discovered later.

I apologized to security and contacted DJ Moe. I needed answers. What is this beautiful monster called MakinaMakina??

I needed to know!

My ears told me it sounded like Techno, but I just didn’t want to label it as such. What if I was wrong and I go searching for the songs in Techno and never end up finding it? My Shazam app couldn’t tag the tracks either. I needed to know the genre. The sound was faster than any I’ve heard and massive, so I reached out to DJ Moe. The life of my itunes library depended on fresh new sounds! Two days later I received a reply and if you’re reading this DJ Moe I’d like to once again thank you for the knowledge!

Here’s a brief excerpt of Moe’s description of what I thought was Techno,

“Thanks bud I’m glad you enjoy, The genre is Makina. North East Makina to be exact. Makina is a sort of Spanish Hardcore that was really popular here in the North east of England & Scotland, it was at its best late 90’s early 00’s & was played in clubs such as the Blue Monkey, New Monkey, Hargar13, & before those were clubs such as The Venue, The Colosseum, After Dark, After Dark2, & inspired people growing up with it here to start producing it. Nearly all the tracks on that mix are produced here in the North East UK and some from Scotland too.”

So now I knew the name Makina had a meaning and a history, so I decided to do some more digging (Thanks Wiki!) and his clue lead me to another! According to Wiki…

150 to 180 BPM….150 to 180 freakin BPM?!?!?!! After reading that I was like

Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need….roads!!! You’ll fly!!

Yes that is what you will feel like when you listen to MakinaMakinaTime 2014 Mix. Brace for impact! Here are the links to the tapes I heard. The first is…

DjMoE – D&B Dancefloor Terminators! 2014mix.

Terminators led me to the second tape….the MAKINA MIX!!!!

While D&B Dancefloor Terminator reminded me of Headhunterz Project 1 & Aim For Your Brain (I love those guys) Makina turned it up to 10 and broke the dial!! All in all while listening to both Terminators & Makina Makina I felt like some futuristic badass. The cinematic samples also help to complete the action experience! If you wanted to go to the gym or play Devil May Cry or go really crazy in the club(basically any high energy activity) these mixes are PERFECT! The artists who spin and make Makina are many and I wouldn’t be doing them justice by just glossing them over, so be sure to check back here for more info. For now download some awesome free Makina music! For more on Dj Moe including a bio and links to his music be sure to visit https://soundcloud.com/djmoejr

Here’s another artist I discovered that is someone I feel you should check out. As I mentioned I’m big into Sci-Fi, so when I see the name, Peter Weyland as the title of an original produced Dubstep track I know its on. I can write an entire textbook on Peter Weyland Industries, off world mining colonies and weaponizing alien blood, but now is not the time.

If you don’t know who Weyland is, I strongly recommend watching the Alien films. All of them. Better yet watch those and Prometheus.

Needless to say Will, The Silent did an awesome job with sampling snippets of Weyland’s speech from Prometheus and blending them seamlessly into his original track. The result works and the track has it own charm with a wicked fresh bassline and dubstep beat that is BOOM! It is energy. Pure, raw, complete and absolute. Afterwards check out Gas Mask and Night Terrors.

Night Terrors

I think the most important thing I take away from of these songs, beside the fact that they are free music downloads (awesome), is that they motivate me to improve and refine my sound. That when I think of Art as reaching its highest form…when it can motivate others to create. I’m a fan of many producers and genres and in moments in time certain artists can serve to motivate and so I’m inspired to craft my own creations. Like DJ Moe’s mixes currently influence my mixes, Will The Silent’s music has influenced my production. The “Peter Weyland” track inspired me to remix the track titled, “Elusive” by Makina and sample “The Dark Knight Rises.” (Only a few days away+posting here!) I only wished I thought of the Weyland track first! That’s how good it is. I was like…woah man I gotta creat my own Peter Weyland because the sample audio was used so well. I’ve always been a fan of movie samples in music and use some in my mixes. Anyways, Will’s song is crisp and clean and now it is yours to own and listen to…free…here! Check out Will The Silent, Peter Weyland and Night Terrors here!

Well nothing really, except for the fact that the music in the BBC news video does goes well with the content….and no this isn’t a plug for the Tom Cruise movie, but the suit they made in Italy does kinda look like the pic a little. Click the link below to find out. Anyway, I was writing the draft to post 3 when I see on BBC news that engineers in Italy have developed a wearable robotic exoskeleton. Whoa.

It is called the “body extender” and has been built by Perceptual Robotics Laboratory (Percro) at Pisa’s Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna.

According to Percro, the user of this robotic exoskeleton can lift up to 50kg in each extended hand!!!

50kg!! That’s about 110 pounds!!!

Possible applications include future work in factories, debris removal and the rescue of survivors in earthquake zones, according to the robotics lab. Percro also added, “The exoskeleton is one of many being developed around the world for manufacturing, therapeutic and military purposes.” Does this mean the rise of Metal Gear or Gundam Suits?! I don’t know, but it’s pretty cool.

Percro’s Fabio Salsedo demonstrates how the robot suit works in this video. Check it out and be sure to look out for post 4 where I reveal more music discoveries, free songs, artists news and more! See you next time friends! Peace & Good Music! http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26189565

My entry into the world of Hip-Hop started in the early 90’s with Wu-Tang Clan. From there I traveled back and forth in time and all I knew was…the beats. The beats, the beats, the beats! Sometimes I didn’t need the lyrics, sometimes good instrumentals were all I’d need to get through a stressful time. Alchemist, 9thWonder, Madlib, and Apollo Brown (to name a few) all made beats that chilled me out. Some rare samples, full drums and a melody that was mad mellow and soon I’m lounging forgetting my troubles. Da Landlord’s music gives me that feeling. It is the same feeling that my favorite producers gave me, head boppin, zone out music with good vibes to take me away to another place. Landlord has made many projects, I highly recommend checking them out! The vinyl sound, jazz memories, the drums that fill his beats provide the listener a soulful listening session. This is a sound you not only listen to, but experience!

From his Souncloud page,
“Robin Dijkstra AKA Da Landlord, born in Schiedam on January 6th 1989, started making music in 2006. At the time he was always listening to productions from producers such as Easy Mo Bee, Dj Premier and Pete Rock. This influenced him to start chopping up old jazztunes, soulbreaks and almost everything he thought was worth using.” For FREE tracks (yes!), and an extended bio be sure to visit https://soundcloud.com/da-landlord
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The Electronic genre is one of my favorite genres. It can be upbeat and mysterious at the same time. In This Mode caught my attention at about 3am today. I was posting promo for this blog when I accidentally stumbled across the video for Spiral. I’m happy I did! Spiral is an awesome video with great visuals, crisp vocals and a bangin sound. The singer’s silhouette against the dark evolving space immediately grew on me. 30 seconds into the video I was like, “Ok…ok there is something to this. I don’t know what it is…but I need to listen a bit more.” After it was over I played it again and knew I had to share it. The lyrics include “0..1..1..2..3..5..8 it’s a spiral spiralin out.”

The numbers stood out because I couldn’t label a meaning to them, but that’s exactly what I liked about the song. It just had this thumping hypnotic element that makes you let go and listen. Then the sounds wash over you. The effect is quite soothing. The video had given me a Depeche Mode/ nostalgic feeling to the early days of MTV’s late night music video blocks. The visuals, the vocals and the rhythm all gave off this good trance vibe. According to SJE Records “Spiral is the 2nd track off the Album Dans De Mode by In This Mode. Upbeat vibes, elements of trance and an old school Aussie rock vocal can be heard through this album.” Sounds like good news to me! Can’t wait for more.
Additional links to check out! See more at: http://sjerecords.com/release/spiral/#sthash.Uvlxrvdo.dpuf

Various Artists: NORTH DASSOTA PROJECT
Location: North Dassota Nodak, Minnessota, United States
Tracks: North Dakota Cypher (D1) , Da Cypher 2
Genre: Hip-Hop
Links: https://soundcloud.com/northdassotamovement/da-cypher-2https://soundcloud.com/northdassotamovement
As mentioned, I join a lot of music groups on Facebook in hopes of promoting my music and mixes. I’m not the only one though, many artists are doing the same, but when a group of talented individuals come together the results are even better. Strength in numbers is certainly true in this case. I love it when a collective group of talent comes together in any art form.

The North Dassota Project Cyphers 1 & 2 gave me a Fort Minor/Kendrick vibe that I thought was cool. There is a talent and a raw hunger here that will continue to grow with each day, so check out this latest collective of young emcees. From their Soundcloud page: “A collection of unsigned acts in the North Dakota/Minnesota region. There is more to come! Artist in this area feel free to join our official group @ http://www.facebook.com/groups/1387104381557213/ Sound like a group to watch, check them out because greatness starts from acts that bond together. Enjoy the Cyphers!

Check back for more updates this week! Till next time!
-O

]]>https://musicbeatseverything.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/new-music-discovered-da-landlord-in-this-mode-north-dassota-project/feed/0djotheengineeravatars-000071375514-vtd6jk-t500x500photo(10)artworks-000072225792-j8yjk8-t500x500avatars-000070892404-v3phsp-t500x500Let’s get this show started!https://musicbeatseverything.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/lets-get-this-show-started/
https://musicbeatseverything.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/lets-get-this-show-started/#respondSat, 01 Mar 2014 01:50:12 +0000http://cortesteach1.wordpress.com/?p=10Continue reading →]]>I’m DJ O, The Engineer and this is MUSIC BEATS EVERYTHING, The New Sound and Art Blog!

This blog aims to promote the work of musicians, producers, singers, writers, emcees, djs, poets, painters and everyone who has something to contribute to the evolution of art and music!

My story of how all this came to be started back in May of 2012. One day at lunch, while experimenting with Garageband on the ipad, a friend suggested I listen to a music website called Soundcloud. At the time I had no idea what Soundcloud was, but once I logged in I was immediately flooded with a feeling of renewal. New fresh sounds and vocals from people I never heard of filled my ears. It was different and refreshing to hear music I wasn’t used to, from voices other than signed music artists.

I was also surprised to discover that I could upload my own sounds and share them with the world. Using the ipad to record samples and post instrumentals online I noticed a change in my usual routine. I felt happier. I remembered feeling this way during college when I volunteered to work at the campus radio station and newspaper. That feeling of renewal was now being revived through the internet.

As months passed I had a growing desire to share my music with more people and slowly started djing. Once I discovered Garageband on the Mac and began using it I eventually graduated to Logic Pro X. Over time everything I did became music related. Friends would ask, “What is the name of that song you’re listening to?”, or “That’s a dope beat man, where did you get it?! “. That’s when I realized I needed to create a blog.

Eventually, I met other artists on the path to the next big sound on Facebook! Now I can share their work as well as mine through this blog. There are so many songs I’d like to share with you. Stay tuned for weekly updates on my productions, emerging artists, links to free music, mixtapes, art and more!